Pinoy BL Series
Thailand
10+ out of 10. I'm not mad that we didn't get Cairo's "Yes" in this episode. The elephant in the room was not really his answer to Terrence's question. The elephant in the room has always been about Cairo's father and his relationship with his family. Episode 7: The Elephant in the Room reminded me of the centrality of family for a lot of Filipinos and the difficulty of navigating within this unit especially if you belong to the LGBTQ+ community. It also reminded me that the pandemic is real and that people are dying. I've watched a lot of boys' love (BL) series, and when I say a lot, I mean a lot, but the last scene from this episode is one of the most, if not the most heartbreaking scene I've ever seen. Acting was at its best in this episode. Adrianna's Pearl was an effective happy relief from the overall despair in this episode. Sue Prado, who portrayed Cairo's mother proved that you don't need to be hysterical to show great sorrow. The way she showed quiet grief was simply amazing. Kokoy's Gav showed a lot of character development in this episode. The facade of confidence was broken down in this episode that gave way to a sensitive Gav with doubts and insecurities. The last scene where Gav cried with Cairo was very powerful, overshadowed only by the greatness of Elijah. Man, I've watched this episode three times already and in all three times, Elijah made me cry with him. I love Elijah. But so as not to end this comment in gloom, I would like to point out that we did get some romantic and sexy scenes from this episode. The scene where Cairo and Gav paused for a few seconds while dancing just to look into each other's eyes was a very intimate moment. For the sexy scene... Gav taking a shower... need I say more? Lol. Three episodes left! I hope we get a happy ending on Episode 10. I don't want to wait for the movie or Season 2 to get a happy ending! Direk Ivan, please give us our happy ending!
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Hello Stranger Episode 3
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Everything improved in Episode 3: Hello, Heartbeat! More information about the background of the lead characters was revealed in this episode. Particularly, we got to know more about Mico. I love the "Dear Basketball" (2017) and "One More Chance" (2007) moments. While the pace is still a bit slow for my liking (dialogues went too long), the screenplay was generally refined in this episode. Acting and the chemistry between the lead actors were also better. JC deserves special mention for his improvement. Production design, camera work, musical score, and editing were as good as in the previous episodes. The last scene, with its dialogue and hand gestures, was really corny but it can be forgiven because the last line from Xavier was absolutely romantic.
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Episode 6: The Goddess was a good episode. Introducing Christian's gay father made the plot/storyline a bit more complex. Sakristan's plot/storyline was never really the issue. Its main textual problems have always been its screenplay and the cast's acting. But for this episode, both were relatively good. While I hated the gossiping of the support cast (whose acting was bad all around) and Zach's stereotypical views about Wolf's gayness, Christian's dialogue with his father, while still cringy at times, was also heartwarming. Their lines together hopefully neutralised Zach's stereotypical views. The acting performance of both Clifford and Henry was better in this episode. I also liked the portrayal of the female teacher. Cinematography blended pretty well with the OSTs. I would even dare say that the best scenes from his episode were those without dialogues and with only the OSTs and the sceneries. And man, Clifford was such a sight for sore eyes! He's one sexy dude! I don't care if the scenes showing Zach with a surfboard didn't really make sense for this episode, Clifford showing off his sexiness is always good. As for Henry, the haircut looked good on him. I found the last scene a bit odd that even without clarifying things with Zach, Christian ended their relationship. I know seeing your bestfriend and boyfriend kiss is a big deal but if I were him I would still want an explanation for better closure. Let's see what happens next in the last two episodes.
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Truly Very Yours Episode 5
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I was caught off guard that Episode 5: Truly Yours was the final episode of the series. I was expecting 10 episodes! Anyway, the finale was the longest episode with over 16 minutes. It was a good episode, probably its best episode in terms of screenplay and acting. Not everything was explained and resolved. We still don't know what really happened between Mark and David but at least there's closure. And it ended in a hopeful note so that's good as well. Unfortunately, there's a problem with the audio which was a skip behind the video which kinda ruined the finale. But all things considered, it's still a cute Filipino (Pinoy) boys' love (BL) miniseries.
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Episode 6: Secret Party was extra cheesy, but still cute and sweet. The episode delved more into Gav and Terrence's past relationship as well as Cai's personality. Gav was even more adorable in this episode, if that's even possible. While I still hate Terrence, at least this episode provided us the reason for his machinations. Part of me actually felt sad for him. As for Cai, I know a lot of friends like him so I totally get him. It's always hard to say you're sorry especially if it's your fault. Kudos to him for his effort! Pearl continued to be the slay Queen in this series. Obviously, the "confrontation" was the highlight of this episode. While the Screenwriter and Director did enough to avoid a super soapy scene, I still found it a bit awkward. I guess it's one of those scenes that's difficult to convert into a virtual setting. Unlike Hello Stranger, which has a lot of money that enabled it to acquire permission to use actual names of e-mail, social media, and social networking services, Gameboys had to invent their own versions of Facebook, Instagram, Gmail, Zoom, etc. to avoid infringing on the trademarks of these companies which I found really amusing. Elijah likes to rap. He writes and sings his own rap songs. He did that in one of his previous movies. He also wrote the lyrics and sang the OST "Angel of Peace" for this episode. Not my type of music but if that's what makes baby Cai/Elijah happy, then I'm happy for him. I prefer the other OST "Pag-asa," also sang by Elijah. The cliffhanger for this episode was my least favorite. I would have wanted this episode to end with Cai giving a definitive answer, that would have provided an even more exciting wait for next week. Anyway, only four episodes left! Let's watch again next week!
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Hello Stranger Episode 2
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While Episode 2: Hello Feelings! is a notch better than its pilot episode, Hello Stranger still can't seem to get its putting right. It still looks quite tentative in its execution of scenes. The plot/storyline moved along just fine and the screenplay was ok. Acting and the chemistry between the lead actors improved. Production design, camera work, music, and editing were still good. I don't really know why, but I still got bored with this episode. Maybe because I didn't learn anything really new about the lead characters since we already have a general idea of Xavier and Mico's personalities and characterisations from last week's episode? Maybe because the dialogues were not exciting enough? Sure, there were some "kilig" moments here and there (Xavier sending Mico that video was really cute) but overall, the episode seemed dull for me. Or maybe because there wasn't a cliffhanger to entice me to look forward to next week's episode? I don't know. In any case, the boys (especially Patrick) looked pretty good so I shouldn't complain too much. I just hope things get more exciting next week.
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Zach outing Wolf and Zach and Wolf betraying Christian, seriously? Episode 5: Barong is one of the worst episodes of Sakristan. Everything about this episode is soapy (akin to soap operas) -- cringy plot/storyline, screenplay, and acting. After watching the episode, people might think it's ok to out those you don't like. There were a lot of corny dialogues. And while Henry's acting was ok and Xavier's acting was at best, tolerable, most of the cast including Clifford were just shouting most of the time. There were no subtleties at all. It was unbearable to watch. The technical aspects of the production design, cinematography, and musical score as well as the OST were ok but looking at the episode as a whole, it wasn't pretty at all.
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Truly Very Yours Episode 4
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Episode 4: I'm Torn is Truly Very Yours' best episode yet. It's a cute series with a simple plot/storyline so don't expect too much. The screenplay was generally ok with a few cringy dialogue. I'm so happy I was able to finally watch Wex. I like the character he portrays and for a newbie, his acting was ok. Marky and Wex are both endearing. They look cute together. I hope they end up together in this series. Since it's obvious Truly Very Yours has the least budget, it's useless to compare it with other Filipino (Pinoy) boys' love (BL) series. And this is very evident in the weaknesses in production design, computer graphics, and editing of Truly Very Yours. Nevertheless, if you're looking for a light series with (at least) two cute boys who can actually act, Truly Very Yours would be just fine for you.
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The. Best. Episode. Of. The. Series. So. Far. I don't even know how to react to Episode 5: Thrill of the Chase. The episode had it all. There were happy moments but there were (really) sad moments. The episode was an emotional rollercoaster for the viewers! Acting in this episode was really good. Even with all his shirtless scenes, I still hate Kyle, which only means he's an effective actor. I just hope in the coming episodes they'll be able to explain why he is who he is. Adrianna continued to provide the funny moments. She's an amazing actress. I especially like the namedrops (Alden Richards and Catriona Gray) and the shade ("Has the curve been flattened?"). Kudos to Ash, the screenwriter! His screenplay throughout the series is consistently realistic and relatable. I love the Ariana Grande mention. Elijah had a very solid acting performance. I think a lot of boys can relate to his tentativeness and uneasiness with regards to relationships. But it's Kokoy who certainly gave the best acting performance in this episode! By the end of the episode, I just wanted to hug Gav and cry with him. The best thing about this episode was its ability to present the complexities and difficulties of online/virtual relationships especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. It's reflective of the anxiety and paranoia experienced by people in these kinds of relationship. The technical aspects of the episode like production design, musical score, editing were all good. My only problem with this episode... I have to wait another week for the next episode.
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Hello Stranger Episode 1
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It's difficult not to compare Hello Stranger with Gameboys because there were just too many similarities between the two Filipino (Pinoy) boys' love (BL) series. Unfortunately for Hello Stranger, Gameboys is way better in almost all aspects. But if I'll try to assess Hello Stranger based on its own merits and not compare it with Gameboys, I'd say Hello Stranger had a very good premiere. For this post, I'd still compare it with Gameboys and even Sakristan. The plot/storyline was already laid bare on this episode. It had a simpler plot/storyline than Gameboys or Sakristan. I would have wanted some kind of build-up with some cliffhangers and surprises (like Gameboys) but alas, the main conflicts in the story were already laid out in this premiere. The screenplay was generally ok with only few cringy lines -- certainly better than Sakristan. Everyone in the cast, from the lead to the support cast can act -- maybe not as good as Elijah Canlas and Kokoy de Santos of Gameboys, but they're all good actors. They're definitely better than Clifford Pusing and Henry Villanueva of Sakristan. I especially liked Mean Espinosa who portrayed Prof. Kristine "Tina" Moran (and the voice of Mico's mother) in this episode. All the male actors -- Tony Labrusca, JC Alcantara, Patrick Quiroz, and Miguel Almendras, are distractingly handsome. Tony and JC need to work on their chemistry though. They also need to work on being more relatable. I have a problem with the stereotypical portrayal of women in the characters of Kookay and Crystal in this episode. It's as if their whole existence revolves around boys and they're just too preoccupied with looking beautiful. But this is just the first episode so I'm hopeful that they'll be able to develop all the characters. Compared with other Pinoy BL series, I'd assume Hello Stranger has the biggest budget. Just compare the credits. Hello Stranger has a lot more people working for its production. And this showed in terms of the quality of the production design which was at least at par with Gameboys. Cinematography was also good but editing needs improvement. There were some lag time during the video calls. There were also scenes that needed some background music. But I like the OST "Kahit na Anong Sabihin ng Iba" performed by Seth Fedelin. Featuring the Filipino poem "Sa Kasintahang Nilimot Na" by Benilda Santos was also a nice touch. I hope they feature Filipino poetry every episode. Overall, I think Hello Stranger had a very decent premiere and I'm hopeful that it improves in the next episodes.
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No doubt, Sakristan is one of the most daring, if not the most daring Filipino (Pinoy) boys' love (BL) series so far. When one is daring, you expect hits and misses. Unfortunately for Sakristan, there were a lot of misses for Episode 4: Thick and White. While the plot/storyline (first sexual experience) for this episode was generally good, the screenplay fell flat. There were awkward dialogues and lines intended as jokes that weren't really funny. There was a cringy discussion about who is top (seme) and who is bottom (uke) in a sexual relationship that only reinforces stereotypes. Such stereotypes don't resonate in Philippine society. The lead actors were ok but acting in this episode in general, was still unnatural and unrealistic. Clifford was sexy and his intimate scenes with Henry, mostly without dialogues, were done tastefully. Cinematography in this episode might even be better than the first episode. I love the artistic choices for the camera angles and shots in this episode. Editing for this episode was ok. Musical score and the OST have been consistently good not only for this episode but for the entire series. For the next episodes, although I'm not optimistic, I still hope Sakristan will be able to address its main misses: unnatural and unrealistic screenplay and style of acting.
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Truly Very Yours Episode 3
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I watched Wex's IG Live with Marky before the release of Episode 3: In Denial. Since they were both promoting the episode, I was anticipating to finally get to see Wex in this Filipino (Pinoy) boys' love (BL) series. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. Lol. David turned out to be portrayed by a different actor, Robin Hanrath. Overall, the plot/storyline of this Pinoy BL series didn't move much in this episode, although we did get to know more about Marky's past relationship with David. Watching Marky in this episode, I was able to appreciate more his acting capabilities. He's a newbie but he can certainly act and he's undeniably cute too. The quality of the production design, computer graphics, editing, and musical score were similar to the previous episodes. For the next episode, I hope this Pinoy BL series pick up its pace. And I want to finally get to watch Wex!
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I wasn't disappointed at all that they didn't meet face-to-face yet in this episode. To be honest, I was hoping they wouldn't. Lol. This series needed an episode to breathe, to slow down a bit, since everything seemed to be going too fast. We needed an episode to get to know more about the lead characters and see how their relationship develops. Episode 4: One Who Is Victorious was that episode. I love this episode. It's super cute. It's flirty, it's sexy, yet respectful (consent is the key, lol). And I love the fact that the episode gave Adrianna some more screen time. She deserves it. She's really good. She's the friend everyone needs. And I'm excited for the Gameboys spin-off series Pearl Next Door. I'm pretty sure Elijah and Kokoy will drop by her show as guests in the future. But aside from Pearl, we also met Terrence in this episode. Kyle is a good-looking adversary for the lead characters. I just hope they don't turn him into a one-dimensional antagonist. A good villain is always someone whose character is well developed. Overall, Gameboys was able to maintain its quality in this episode. All the same, I'm still waiting for the MV of the OST "Panalo Ka" by Dex Yu of Letter Day Story. The IdeaFirst Company, please release the MV. Lol!
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Truly Very Yours Episode 2
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In Episode 2: Unfinished Business, through lines from Filipino (Pinoy) movies, we got a glimpse of Mark's past relationship with David. The actor playing the shirtless David is still unknown. I'm hoping it's Wex, but unfortunately, the guy on the other side of the phone conversation doesn't sound like the Wex we met in Trailer 1. We'll just have to wait for the succeeding episodes to find out who portrays David. Only under 5 minutes, there's nothing much to say about this second episode. The quality of the production design, computer graphics, editing, musical score, and OST were generally the same as Episode 1: Prank Calls. I'm looking forward to Episode 3. I hope it's longer and better than Episodes 1 & 2.
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Sakristan had its best episode yet in Episode 3: Cuerdas. It's futile to compare Sakristan with Gameboys. In terms of quality, Gameboys is just way ahead of Sakristan. Let's just appreciate the improvements made on Sakristan. At least the plot/storyline went somewhere in this episode. I admire Sakristan's efforts to confront the Philippine Catholic Church's bigotry and hypocrisy on the issue of gays within its community. Although there were still corny and cringy lines, the screenplay was better in this episode. Acting of both lead actors and the chemistry between them improved. Again, it's pointless to compare Clifford and Henry to Elijah and Kokoy. The latter are just way better than the former. Just a quick note on Henry. Henry is a theatre actor. It's not as though he can't act. He can. The problem is acting direction. The VinCentiments style of acting continuously failed to grasp the difference between stage and screen acting. Because of the perspective and proximity of the audience, acting on stage is bigger and exaggerated to be able to reach the people at the very back of the theatre. This means making vocal, physical, and emotional choices in acting that are oftentimes unnatural and unrealistic. You also get away with small unnecessary movements on stage. The problem with the VinCentiments style of acting in Sakristan, it's as if they're still on stage! This was pretty obvious with the support cast members (especially Loren Marinas) who were overacting in this episode. There were also a lot of unnecessary movements magnified on screen. Since Henry and those in the support cast with stage experience were not given proper acting direction, their style of acting always looked bad on screen. It's a pity because I really like Henry. He needs to transition from being a good stage actor to being a good screen actor. Production design and cinematography were good for this episode. I guess editing is a matter of taste. The abrupt cutting off scenes and the fast-paced jumping from one scene to another may look artistic for some but they can also be seen as ways to hide acting inadequacies. I love the musical scoring and the OST for this episode. I've finally decided that if I'll continue to watch Sakristan, I'll need to stop comparing it to Gameboys. I should just appreciate the improvements made in each episode. So for the next episodes, I'll do just that.
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